From the Leadership Team
Principal’s Message
I wish to extend an exuberant welcome back to all our returning families and a massive embrace to all our new families at RNPS.
While it's never ideal to return to school in the middle of an historic heatwave, I feel very comfortable saying that it has been an exceptionally settled and calm return to school for our students.
Walking through the school on Wednesday (the first day back for Years 1 to 6), the students were seated, listening to their teachers, working diligently and quietly and straight into their routines. Teachers always make a concerted effort to establish these routines and classroom norms early in the year, but I think this year we're ahead of schedule.
And then Thursday we had the high-energy arrival of our newest students, with the Preps taking over their space and filling their teachers' ears with tales tall and true (mostly). They are a gorgeous cohort of children who we look forward to getting to know even better over the years.
For many students, the return to school in January is something they look forward to positively and with great anticipation, but we are well aware that there will be some children for whom this isn't the case. The long break can allow time for stresses and concerns to grow into bigger problems and make it hard to get back to the hubbub of a school environment.
For any children who are having difficulty getting out of the door or in through the gate in the mornings, please don't hesitate to let your child's teacher know earlier rather than later. In most cases, these issues will resolve with your care and support alone, but where it becomes necessary to get staff helping out, the sooner the better.
Thank you for Term 4
A sincere thank you to Kris Johnson for his work in the school during my absence. It is never easy to be an Acting Principal in a school and Term 4 can introduce a whole new level of challenges, too, but I have been updated of the many things that were completed and achieved while I was away and it is a great relief for me. Of course, Kris was very ably supported by our wonderful leadership team who were able to provide the background knowledge, community connections and expertise to make the experience as seamless as possible.
I am pleased to say that the treatment and recovery I undertook during my time away has proven very effective and I look forward to having a healthy 2026.
Upcoming Special Moments
I have included as the banner image on this page a picture of the straw ceiling in our Hall. It brings me far more pleasure than you can imagine to say that this is the last any of us will ever see of this is ceiling as it has now been removed and plasterboard installed as part of the extensive works undertaken during the holidays.
The Hall is about two weeks away from completion and I am certain will be a breath of fresh air for families who have been here a while.
We have also had:
complete roof replacements on the Hall, the Staffroom/Prep building, the Admin building and the Year 3 portables.
complete ceiling replacements in the Prep rooms and Year 3 portables
refurbished decks
additional electrical work through the school
In addition to these works, we will then move into another project to refurbish the Breezeway Toilets (between Prep and OSHC). This is scheduled to start on February 17.
During the works, a temporary toilet block will be located at the end of the staff carpark and some changes made to foot traffic in that area, but OSHC will continue to operate out of the same building during those works.
As well as all the physical improvements around the school, we have tweaks to our mathematics and spelling programs that you will learn more about at the upcoming Information nights.
And of course, the RNPS Family Festival on Saturday October 24 is the big-ticket item for everyone. The Festival Committee have put in considerable effort already to help ensure this is even better and more fun for the whole family than any festivals in the past.
I look forward to the many things ahead for us and anticipate a brilliant 2026.
Please note, we have started trying to populate the Parent Calendar with any confirmed dates and events through the year. Don't forget to check the Calendar page in the newsletter, or the Calendar on Compass to stay up to date with all the latest activities and events happening across the school.
Annual Schools Privacy Reminder
Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ privacy policy and the Schools’ privacy collection notice.
Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students policy , describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn.
We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace for Education safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using this software or other technology, please contact the school.
For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ privacy policy: information for parents.